La Cieca
James Jorden (who wrote under the names "La Cieca" and "Our Own JJ") was the founder and editor of parterre box. During his 20 year career as an opera critic he wrote for the New York Times, Opera, Gay City News, Opera Now, Musical America and the New York Post. He also raised his voice in punditry on National Public Radio. From time to time he directed opera, including three unsuccessful productions of Don Giovanni. He also contributed a regular column on opera for the New York Observer. James died in October 2023.
Opera Music Broadcast is pleased to announce our first-ever LIVE VIDEO webcast featuring the Toledo Opera and their production of Ariadne auf Naxos. And La Cieca is pleased—nay, delighted—to invite the cher public to enjoy the webcast and to chat back here at La Casa della Cieca on Wednesday evening, October 6 at 7:00 PM…
La Cieca has just been informed that Anita Rachvelishvili will make her Met debut in the title role of Carmen on January 5, 2011, replacing Kate Aldrich, who has withdrawn preggers. La Rachvelishvili also sings Carmen on January 8 and 13. Wait, there’s more!
“[El Gato con Botas] can be summed up in a single word: purr-fect.” Our Own JJ practices the art of the pullquote in the New York Post.
“Aida am Rhein,” an outdoor on-location live presentation of Verdi’s opera, with the cast of the current Calixto Bieito production in Basel. (So far as I can tell, Bieito didn’t direct the film or the outdoor spectacle, but presumably some of the dramatic ideas of his production were carried over into this performance.)
La Cieca notes that the Gran Teatre del Liceu production of Carmen, directed by Calixto Bieito and starring Beatrice Uria-Monzon, Roberto Alagna, Marina Poplavskaya and Erwin Schrott, will be broadcast to cinemas a couple of weeks from now.
Congratulations to parterre fave Andrew Richards, who was featured in the staging named Best Opera Production of 2009-2010 in Opernwelt magazine: Verdi’s Macbeth, directed by Krzysztof Warlikowski at La Monnaie in Brussels.
La Cieca would like to call the cher public’s attention to the new “share” buttons at the foot of each posting here on parterre.com. Clicking on the “Like” button will alert your Facebook friends of your affection for the given posting; the “Tweet” button will send the current posting to your Twitter feed.
Faithful and sharp-eared member of the cher public reedroom notes, “…an observation about the Levine 40th Wozzeck CD (Anja Silja/Jose van Dam)—the second CD (acts 2 and 3) has to be a different performance, different cast and different year. It is undoubtedly Hildegard Behrens on the 2nd CD. I don’t know who the baritone is…
A certain person soon to return from exile has a tale to tell: “So, the nameless Wanderer sat down and posed some questions to the groveling Mime. ‘You have heard and believed the accepted wisdom. Are you willing to put your ears where your mouth is?’”
The fact: the rainbow bridge worked tonight in Rheingold at the Met, and the effect was “spectacular.” (All right, that last part was an opinion. But, moving on.) The rumor: “everyone” at the Met knew “well in advance” that the rainbow bridge would not be attempted at Monday night’s opening performance.
Is it really true—the rumor La Cieca just now invented out of whole cloth—that René Pape will play Boris Godunov as an eccentric Chanel couturier? Cher public, you’ll have the chance to find out even before opening night of the Met’s new production of the Mussorgsky epic, since the company is making available making 2,000…
“Returning from last season, mezzo Kate Lindsey was again excellent as Hoffmann’s devoted but cynical muse, Necklace.” [Canadian Press]
Roberto Alagna dips his toe into the avant-garde, participating in Calixto Bieito‘s controversial production of Carmen at Teatro del Liceo de Barcelona. [El País]
“You see, I don’t play roles. I find color for every role inside of me.” The soprano Marina Poplavskaya likes to talk about how she sees music as colors. She is also given to morbidly poetic formulations like “Let the harmony penetrate you like a silent knife through your heart.” [New York Observer]
“Fricka, queen of the gods, modeled one of Mamie Eisenhower’s old cocktail dresses; trickster god Loge rocked a Gary Glitter jumpsuit, and the thieving dwarf Alberich sported MC Hammer pants.” Our Own JJ breaks it down. [New York Post]
Placido Domingo will not renew his Washington National Opera contract when it expires in June 2011. Anne Midgette has the story! [Washington Post]
Our Own JJ is dashing about like a mad crazed thing today. At 4:00 this afternoon, he’s joining Naomi Lewin at WQXR to discuss the Met’s impending season (you can listen here), then dashing over to Lincoln Center to cover the opening night Rheingold for the New York Post. In your doyenne’s understandable absence, hosting…
The entire new CD “The Italian Tenor” (featuring Vittorio Grigolo) may be heard here. (If it tickles your fancy, you may want to purchase a copy as well.)
La Cieca is delighted to announce the latest addition to the parterre collection at La Cieca’s Boutique: the Bubble Graph Tee. Wear your diva quantification with pride in 100% cotton, and as you walk away, they’ll know you’re a fan of parterre box. (Which is probably the best time to let that sort of information…
“Perhaps we’ve seen too many commercials with toffs in penguin suits to accept the fact that operagoers are, in fact, a motley middle-class lot. And the Wagner audience is the motliest of all — emeritus professors sit side by side with Ring-loving schoolteachers, fanatic record collectors, neophyte opera mavens and that woman wearing a Valkyrie…
Tamara Mumford (Flosshilde in Das Rheingold) explains the concept of the Met’s new production of the Ring.
Country wailer Patsy Cline and ex-farmgirl Birgit Nilsson.
“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who are the greatest divas (Classic and Contemporary) of them all?” And the mirror replied, “I’ll tell you right after the jump!”
Which American intendant (who’s straight, by the way) is about to change his anthem from one Judy Garland encore to another? And, speaking of “Over the Rainbow,” which final high-tech special effect of which very expensive new production reportedly failed to work at the (closed) dress rehearsal?
Tell us: What’s your favorite Verdi performance?
Hasten thee to feed another quarter of conversation for The Talk of the Town!
